The first Campus Safety Summit emphasizes a 'whole community approach' to safety
Attendees at the inaugural Safety Summit listen to a presentation on how emerging technology can be used in safety management at large events.
Nearly 150 law enforcement officials, emergency responders, campus safety experts and public safety advocates came together to discuss emerging challenges and solutions in campus safety at the university's inaugural Campus Safety Summit, organized by the Office of Public Safety.
The Jan. 30 summit at the Student Union Memorial Center's South Ballroom brought in attendees from eight colleges and universities throughout Arizona as well as local, state and federal law enforcement partners to learn and share ideas. Some of the topics presented included technology trends, how data analytics is changing the shape of safety resources and how best to communicate with students.
"We all play a role in safety," said Steve Patterson, vice president and chief safety officer. "The days of just having a police officer walking around and having a community feel safe are done. We need to have a whole community approach to safety, and this summit is a chance for a wide scope of agencies to create and collaborate together."
Steve Patterson, Vice President and Chief Safety Officer
Attendees included representatives from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Pima Community College, the Marana Police Department and the Oro Valley Police Department.
The summit began with a keynote address from Kathleen Meixner, member of the university's Campus Safety Commission and widow of Thomas Meixner, former department head and professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences. Since her husband's murder in 2022, she has been involved in the expansion of safety planning and holistic community engagement. During her keynote address, she said safety officials must look past the numbers when they see crime statistics.
"When you see those statistics, it is a human being behind the number," Meixner said. "If we as public safety professionals and advocates can develop and strengthen this quality of empathy in our work, it can be foundational to all our efforts and also sustain us when we are faced with adversity."
Meixner also highlighted efforts and programs led by public safety leadership at the university designed to improve safety infrastructure and communication, specifically citing the University of Arizona Police Department Community Academy, where participants can gain a deeper understanding of the department's operations; the Wildcats Take Care Safety Fair; and Safety Strolls With Steve, where students and employees can learn about safety resources and share concerns and input.
Following her remarks, panels were held throughout the day focused on topics including how big data and real-time analytics are reshaping strategies for safety at large events such as football games and concerts; findings from the university's first University Safety Survey, which are driving collaborations to expand mental health resources for students; and best practices for managing demonstrations as safety leaders look to protect free speech while ensuring campus safety.
"I really enjoyed the section on emergency management in big events," said Cmdr. Jonathan Howard of the Grand Canyon University Police Department. "There were definitely some key points I took away, such as the big focus on the first 30 minutes of an emergency. It can be overwhelming at times, but if you piece it down to 30-minute increments, it's definitely more manageable."
After playing a TEDx talk that discussed the improvisational theater principle of "Yes, and," Jessie Semmann, director of the university's Threat Assessment and Management Team, led an exercise encouraging participants to apply that approach – accepting and building on others' ideas – to foster more open communication with students.
Jessie Semmann, Director, Threat Assessment and Management Team
"It's very easy to steer clear of things we don't know much about. For example, I'm not a huge social media fan," Semmann said. "But I think we have to lean into what we know works for our students. So, let's read up on trends and work together to brainstorm creative ways to speak their language."
Patterson has big ambitions for the summit. In the near term, he's hoping to see people who attended this year's event present next year about new programs or practices they put into place based on what they learned at the summit.
After thanking attendees for making the first annual safety summit a success, he asked participants to help improve and shape next year's summit.
"We want to double the attendance from this year and bring more people from organizations throughout the country to ultimately turn this into more of a national event," Patterson said.
He even hopes that future summits can rotate annually among the three state universities.
Information about next year's summit will be posted on the Office of Public Safety website when details are finalized.